Mortgage Loan Rates and Applications Lower
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting a drop of 4.7% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index, following a rise of 0.2% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates fell last…
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting a drop of 4.7% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index, following a rise of 0.2% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates fell last week.
The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased by 5% from the most recent report. On an unadjusted basis, the composite index fell 5% week-over-week. The unadjusted purchase index also decreased by 6% for the week and is up about 4% year-over-year.
The MBA’s refinance index fell 4%, after remaining flat in the previous week.
The share of refinancings remained unchanged again at 63%, its lowest level in more than two years. Adjustable rate mortgage loans account for 6% of all applications, flat with the prior week.
The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.61% to 4.56%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 4.64% to 4.57%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 3.66% to 3.6%0.
The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan fell from 3.39% to 3.36%.
Refinancings continue at low levels when compared with the past two years as interest rates continue to bounce around — one week up slightly, the next week down slightly. Year-over-year, the unadjusted purchase index is still improved.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.